


E is for England

by Rose_of_Pollux



Series: Around the World in 26 Days [5]
Category: The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-11
Updated: 2017-06-11
Packaged: 2018-11-12 22:31:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11171430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rose_of_Pollux/pseuds/Rose_of_Pollux
Summary: In which Illya speaks about quantum physics at Cambridge, and suddenly becomes self-conscious of the possibility of Napoleon being self-conscious, too.





	E is for England

Illya had been surprised and flattered to receive a request to speak about quantum mechanics at his old alma mater of Cambridge. Since they were both due for vacation time, Napoleon had opted to come along with Illya. And as Illya focused on the science, meeting with former colleagues and current members of the scientific community, Napoleon entertained himself with the university’s centuries of history.

Napoleon did, however, attend Illya’s talk to support him, even though he could barely understand a word of it. After the talk, he attempted to make sense of a poster on what Illya had just talked about, but with limited success.

Illya, who had been catching up with some old acquaintances, took noticed of this and shook his head in amusement.

“I am guessing he has no background in our field?” a former classmate, Peters, asked.

“None whatsoever,” Illya said. “He is what the Americans call ‘streetwise.’”

“You’ll want to be careful, bringing a chap like that to a place like this,” Peters said, under his breath so that Napoleon couldn’t hear.

“What do you mean?”

“Well…” Peters indicated Napoleon, who was tilting his head slightly as he reread the poster, as if seeing it from that angle would make a difference. “Those ‘streetwise’ blokes tend to get sensitive and defensive about people smarter than them. Look at you, Kuryakin. A doctorate in quantum mechanics and now a pathology degree? Next to you, he’s going to look bad—and he’s likely to resent that.”

And though Illya scoffed at the notion and changed the subject, he couldn’t stop the thought from nagging at him throughout the rest of the day. It was as they had dinner in their hotel room that Illya finally decided to address the elephant.

“Napoleon… I hope you do not feel upset that I brought you along with me today.”

“‘Course not. I’ll admit I didn’t really understand anything, but this is what interests you, so, I wanted to stick around.”

“But I want you to know that I did not mean to rub it in about my degrees.”

“Say what?”

“It was never my intent to show off my degrees. I enjoy working in the field with you more than I would in academia. And I only work in Autopsy when Mr. Waverly thinks they are shorthanded.” Napoleon was still staring at him with a puzzled expression, so Illya continued. “I would never flaunt my degrees in front of you, or to belittle you.”

A light seemed to go off in Napoleon’s eyes as he realized what Illya was getting at.

“You know, for a guy with degrees in quantum physics and pathology, you really can be a bit of a blockhead,” he said, with a smirk.

Now it was Illya’s turn to blink in puzzlement.

“C’mon, _Tovarisch_. In all the years we’ve known each other, did I ever show any signs that I resented your smarts? If anything, I knew they were an asset—that I could count on you to think fast when we needed it most, or to dismantle a complicated THRUSH device with time to spare for an escape! That brain of yours has saved us countless times!”

Illya silently cursed Peters for putting that foolish thought in his head, and then cursed himself for ever believing it.

“I’ve got a partner I can count on—for many things,” Napoleon added. “And I’m smart enough to want to keep him.”

“And I am glad of that, Napoleon,” Illya said. He smiled. “I think I will keep you, too.”

They weren’t going to question how two completely different individuals could come together so flawlessly; they would just enjoy it.


End file.
